


Easier with you- Keith Shares

by lasersheith



Series: Easier with you [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, PTSD, pining shiro, veterans keith and shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 09:24:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14399130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasersheith/pseuds/lasersheith
Summary: Shiro's second group therapy session goes well, and has the added bonus of letting him learn a little bit more about his new friend. They have lunch together again.





	Easier with you- Keith Shares

**Author's Note:**

> Set one week after "I'll go in if you will"

Shiro had woken up early, showered, and even trimmed the rather considerable scruff he was still wary to fully shave. Matt smiled warmly at him as he walked down the stairs to the living room, still an hour to go before he needed to leave for his group therapy session. “Hey there, sunshine.” Matt greeted with a cheeky grin. 

 

“Oh shut it, Holt, I’m still bigger than you.” They both laughed as Matt set the papers he was grading onto the coffee table and stood up. 

 

He pulled Shiro into a tight but brief hug. “I’m really glad you’re doing this.” He said softly. 

 

Shiro cracked a smile in response. “Me too.” Matt patted him on the shoulder and took his seat back on the couch. An old rerun of Doctor Who was on, and they chatted amicably over it until it was time for Shiro to go. “I’m gonna see if Keith wants to have lunch again.” He said as he pulled on his jacket, hiding his heated face from Matt’s view by keeping his back turned. “Just so you know, if I don't come home right away.”

 

Matt smirked as Shiro opened the door. “Right. Have fun!” He called with a chuckle. Shiro didn’t answer. 

 

..

 

He was a little early and took his spot from the previous week up against the wall. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, nodding politely to the people that walked by and greeted him. It was kind of nice that people remembered him from last week, even though he'd barely said more than his name.

 

He heard Keith's motorcycle before he saw it and it brought a smile to his face. That was kind of nice, too. Keith strode up to him, his own cigarette already dangling from his mouth. One side ticked up in greeting as he stood next to Shiro. “Glad you came back.” He said quietly as smoke billowed out of his mouth. 

 

Shiro smiled as he tossed the spent butt on the ground. “So am I.” He replied locking eyes with Keith. 

 

Keith tossed his own still half-smoked cigarette onto the sidewalk next to Shiro's and put out the flame with the toe of his boot. “After you.” He gestured toward the door. 

 

They went in together.

 

..

 

The session went much the same as last time. People would tell their stories, ask for advice, or vent about the things going on in their lives. Colleen would add in her own wisdom and gently correct others if they stepped over the line during the open dialogue. It helped Shiro more than he could express to hear about other people who often found themselves unable to get out of bed, who lashed out at those closest to them, who struggled to readjust to civilian life. 

 

Keith was sitting to his left and participating a little more than he had the week prior. He looked nervous and Shiro found it odd. He'd seemed so collected, so calm before. Now he was a little jittery, like Matt after too much coffee. 

 

The conversation was winding down towards the end of the session. “We have time for probably one or two more, does anyone else have anything they want to share?” Colleen asked the group, looking at various individuals and turning her gaze as they either shook their heads or looked away.

  
  


“I’d like to.” Keith piped in quietly. He swallowed hard as all eyes in the room turned to him. He crossed his arms self-consciously. “I’m uh… I’m not very good at this, so…” He trailed off and Colleen assured him that he could say as much or as little as he wanted. He nodded. “I was Air Force. Always wanted to fly, ever since I was a little kid. It didn’t really go down that way, though.” His face filled in with red as he took a deep breath. “I have really bad dreams a lot, so I’m always tired. I get mad really easy.” He scuffed his boot along the floor and put his hands in the pockets of his jacket. His eyes swam with unspilled tears. 

 

He tried to keep his voice steady as he spoke. He fiddled with his lighter. “Can’t do sleeping pills, either. I tried the whole  _ sex, drugs, and rock and roll _ thing right when I got out. Didn’t really help.” He stared at the ground as one side of his mouth tilted up, not quite chuckling at his own private joke. “I got a bunch of cool tattoos out of it, though.” He crossed his arms again in an effort to stop fidgeting, but his knee bounced up and down. “So, I’m here.” A few quiet murmurs filtered through the group. Colleen smiled warmly at him. He couldn’t meet her eyes.

 

“Well, we’re all glad for that, Keith.” He looked up at her and wiped at his face with the sleeve of his jacket. Mumbles of agreement met his ears, but the hand on his shoulder was what made him smile. Shiro didn’t have to say anything, the firm pressure and gentle squeeze spoke volumes. 

 

“Thanks.” He answered softly. 

 

..

 

The meeting officially closed and the participants began to file out. Shiro lost sight of Keith in the crowd and was stopped in his hasty exit by a hand on his shoulder. Colleen's smiling face greeted him as he turned around. “Two in a row.” She said fondly, just a hint of teasing in her voice. 

 

Shiro chuckled a little as he returned her smile. “Yeah, it's been helping a lot. Thanks for getting Matt to pester me so much.” He put his hand in his pocket, hopes of seeing Keith again falling. There was always next week, though, he told himself. It was an uplifting thought. 

 

“I'm glad it's working sweetheart.” She patted his cheek gently. “We're throwing together a going away party for Katie between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know everyone would love to have there.” The unspoken question in her eyes burned at Shiro's suddenly clenched stomach.  _ Will you be able to handle it? _

 

He licked his lips and looked around the room to give himself reprieve from her stare. “I'll try.” He said, smile suddenly plaster instead of skin. 

 

“That's all we can do, dear.” She adjusted the collar on his jacket and moved past him, towards the door. 

 

Shiro sighed. He had time. Thanksgiving was still months away. The Holts were all like family to him, but he had a special place in his heart for Katie. She was spitfire and flower crowns and just as likely to give you a Charlie horse or “two for flinching” as a hug. It would mean a lot to her. He would try. 

 

Lungs suddenly gasping for more destruction, he walked outside, cigarette already between his lips and lighter poised before he left the building. He stopped in his tracks as he saw Keith sitting on his motorcycle, helmet in his arms. Just waiting. Shiro tried his best attempt at a confident stride up to the bike. “Lunch?” He said by way of greeting. 

 

The tiny uptick of the left side of Keith's mouth would be the death of him, he decided in that moment. “Sure, hop on.” Shiro looked down the street. 

 

“Actually there's somewhere I've been meaning to go for a while now. It's just a couple blocks away.” Keith give him a look he couldn't quite place for a brief moment, but stepped off the bike and clipped his helmet to the handlebars. 

 

“Lead the way.” Was Keith's answer, half-smile and resulting small dimple burning its way into the far reaches of Shiro's mind. There was something so captivating about it, he couldn't even articulate why. 

 

The last time they'd gone for lunch, they spoke very little. It had been refreshing to Shiro; he'd been told constantly that he needed to  _ talk _ about his feelings, his experiences, his worries.  _ Talk  _ about everything. It was exhausting. He looked over at Keith while they walked. Keith had talked today. Not very much, but enough. 

 

“So, what was it like?” Shiro asked quietly as they walked. 

 

Keith hummed around the cigarette between his lips. “Kinda scary.” He admitted with a chuckle. Smoke obscured his face for a moment before the cold, ocean breeze blew it away. “It felt good though.” 

 

Shiro nodded. They approached the small diner before he could add anything more. He pointed it out and held the door for Keith as they walked inside. 

 

“Whoa! No way!” A tall, burly type called from behind the counter. His deep brown eyes were wide in shock and crinkled at the edges from the huge grin he was sporting. He walked quickly around the counter and pulled Shiro into a bone crushing hug before pulling him back and looking at him. “You look great man! Glad you came by!” 

 

Shiro gave him a small smile in return, ribs still singing from the squeeze. “Thanks, Hunk. This is… my friend, Keith.” He said by way of introduction. Keith held out a hand for a handshake but Hunk pulled him into a hug instead. Shiro laughed a little and shot Keith an apologetic smile. 

 

“I got just the thing for you, sit down wherever you want, I'll be out in ten.” His good mood was infectious and Shiro found himself still smiling after he disappeared behind the counter and into the kitchen in the back. 

 

Keith led them to a booth in the corner. He had his back against the wall and eyes on the door. Shiro sat down across from him. Usually he'd be a little concerned about his back being to the entrance but with Keith watching, it didn't seem as uncomfortable. “Your friend seems nice.” Keith said conversationally as he looked at a menu. 

 

Shiro sat back. Hunk would bring them whatever was in his heart, he hoped Keith didn't mind. It was usually just want he would have wanted, anyway. “He's a little much sometimes, but he's a great guy.” Keith nodded and put his menu away. 

 

He pulled out his lighter and spun it between two fingers. “You think you might share?” He asked quietly, staring at the spinning metal. 

 

“I'm… considering it.” Shiro admitted after a brief pause. There was a lot to unpack. He had no idea what he'd even say. He supposed he didn't exactly have a deadline. 

 

Keith nodded. “It's…” The glinting light reflected off the shiny case as the lighter spun. They were both staring at it now. “It can be a lot.” 

 

Shiro frowned. “Noted.” He said, voice a little cold. He realized again that he barely knew the man across from him. Keith looked up at his tone, eyes unreadable. He looked like he was about to say something before a pizza placed roughly in the center of the table with a clang interrupted the moment. 

 

Hunk motioned for Shiro to scoot down and sat beside him. “Lunch is served!” He said enthusiastically as he pulled a slice from the side nearest them. “So have you heard Katie's news?” Hunk said around a cheesy mouthful. 

 

Shiro smiled as he grabbed his own slice. “Yeah, she told me last week. Cal Tech! I'm proud of the little squirt.” He glanced over at Keith as he shrugged his jacket off. There were hints of ink poking out the bottom of his sleeves and the top of his collar. 

 

Hunk nodded. “So proud! She's gonna be Dr. Pidge, how sweet is that?” He said with a laugh, but it didn't reach his eyes. 

 

“California's nice, you know. You could go with her.” Shiro said with a soft smile before taking a bite. As always, it was delicious. Keith had tucked in as well, apparently enjoying his slice as much as Shiro did. 

 

Hunk scoffed. “Yeah right.” He said dismissively. 

 

“Why not?” Keith piped in from the other side of the table. 

 

Hunk stared him down for a moment. “Uh, money for one. I don't want to end up working minimum wage and having to room with 3 dudes named Chad while I try to save up for my own restaurant.” He rolled his eyes as he took another piece. 

 

Shiro paused for a moment as he considered how little Keith knew about him, but he figured it would come out sooner or later so it might as well be now. “I might know a guy with a sizeable inheritance looking to invest in a worthy cause.” Shiro said as he took another bite. Hunk turned to him with wide, shocked eyes. “Just sayin’” He finished after he swallowed. 

 

Hunk shook his head. “We'll talk later, Shirogane, I gotta get back to work. But just so you know, I have half a hard drive full of ideas and they’re all gold. Good to meet you, Keith.” They both smiled at him and thanked him for lunch as he walked back into the kitchen. 

 

“Sizeable inheritance huh?” Keith asked with a cheeky smirk. 

 

Shiro let out an amused huff of air that wasn't quite a laugh. “Should I be worried that you only wanna hang out with me for my money?” 

 

Keith's smirk slid into an easy grin. “Depends on how much money it is.” They both laughed. 

 

They finished off the pizza pretty quickly and Shiro marveled to himself about how normal it felt. How normal he felt. Static filtered into his brain again. The moment was gone. 

 

He tossed a $20 bill on the table and stood. “I need some air.” Keith nodded and threw his jacket over a shoulder before following him out the door. Another cigarette burned between lips as he held it with shaking fingers. 

 

Keith saw his distress and Shiro was worried for a minute that Keith would try to make him talk about what was wrong. Keith pulled his sleeve up instead, showing off a fresh-looking tattoo of an overgrown tree. “I just got this last week. I like it a lot.” Shiro looked down at the colorful, stylized forest scene. “I drew the sketch and there's this artist downtown, she's incredible. Really brings it to life.” 

 

Shiro felt his pulse slow a little as Keith showed him a few more pieces. “Are they all your sketches?” He asked tentatively. Keith blushed. 

 

“Yeah, I uh… I draw a lot.” Shiro looked back at Keith's bicep, admiring the slightly faded bluebird. 

 

He felt his own face heating up. “Well, it shows. You're really good. I'd love to see more of your sketches.”  _ And more of you _ he left out. 

 

Keith pulled his jacket back on as a gust of wind chilled them both. “Maybe.” The upturned corner of his mouth mocked Shiro again. 

 

..

 

Later that night, after walking Keith back to his bike and getting a ride back home, Shiro sat at his computer with a word document open in front of him. The 12 point font extended halfway down the first page. 

 

Typing with just his left hand was slow and frustrating, but it felt good to plan out what he was going to share with the group. He hit a full page and saved the file. He didn't have to do it next week. He had plenty of time. 

 

He crawled into bed and flipped the light off, falling asleep more content than he'd felt in months. 


End file.
